DPL-1 (DP) acts in the germ line to coordinate ovulation and fertilization in C. elegans.

ABSTRACT: Proper coordination of oogenesis, ovulation, and fertilization is essential for successful reproduction. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a strong loss-of-function mutation in dpl-1, which encodes a subunit of the E2F heterodimeric transcription factor EFL-1/DPL-1, causes severe defects during ovulation and fertilization. Here we demonstrate that the somatic gonad structure and sheath cell contraction rate appear normal in dpl-1 mutants, but that dilation of the spermatheca valve does not occur properly, causing oocytes to become trapped in the proximal gonad arm and enter endomitosis. This ovulation defect can be partially suppressed by increasing the activity of ITR-1, an inositol triphosphate receptor in the spermatheca that promotes dilation in response to IP(3) signaling. Tissue-specific re

SUBMITTER: Chi W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2680456 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature